Ironic
by S828
Summary: Lily Evans' life revolves around rules. But what happens when she gets to know James Potter, the biggest rule breaker of them all? L/J Love/Hate with MWPP
1. Prologue: Part 1

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I'm not too creative, so I don't own most of it. Anything you may recognize belongs to J.K Rowling.  
  
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so if anyone is actually reading this don't be too harsh if it totally sucks! This is just part one of the prologue; the story will begin with Lily and the rest in their sixth year. Please R/R! Thanks  
  
The faint tunes of "Happy Birthday to You" were coming from downstairs. Slowly, Lily Evans opened one eye, then the other. She smiled. Today was her eleventh birthday, and nothing could spoil her good mood, not even Petunia's taunts.  
  
She got up from bed quickly and brushed her frizzy red hair. She was actually having a birthday party. Everyone knew Petunia was the only one who had birthday parties. Lily was so nervous that she made Petunia hand out the invitations. Lily didn't have many friends, but she invited her whole class anyway. But since it was summer vacation, she wasn't sure that some of her classmates would even remember her. Anxiety seemed to settle in her stomach. Why hadn't anyone called her about the party anyway? Lily knew she should have called, but shyness got the better of her.  
  
Lily hastily took a shower and got dressed in her birthday clothes. She ran down the stairs, feeling great. Even her hair was behaving.  
  
"Happy Birthday sweetie!" her mother greeted her.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Mrs. Evans threw a glance at Petunia. "Don't you have something to say to your sister, Petunia?"  
  
Petunia opened her mouth to say something nasty, but thought better of it and mumbled a happy birthday.  
  
"Your gifts are on the kitchen table, dear. The guests should be arriving at 12:30," Mrs. Evans informed Lily.  
  
For the next three hours, Lily waited and waited. It was already 12:45. Surely the first guest should arrive?  
  
When it was two, Lily gave up all hope. "Mom, can you please call someone and ask?" she asked meekly.  
  
"Sure sweetie."  
  
Her mother came back fifteen minutes later, looking angry.  
  
"Petunia!"  
  
"What Mom?!!"  
  
"Come down here!"  
  
Petunia's horse like face was wearing a scowl. "I hope its something important!" she snapped.  
  
Their mother took a deep breath. "Apparently, none of Lily's friends got their invitations. Any idea why this would be?" she said, looking at Petunia sternly.  
  
"How should I know why the twerp's friends-"  
  
" I think," said their mother slowly and dangerously, "that I should check your bedroom, and see whether the invitations are there, Petunia!"  
  
"Alright, alright. But it was just to save Lily the embarrassment. I mean, who would want to go to a loser's birthday party, anyway?" And with that, Petunia ran back upstairs.  
  
Their mother turned to Lily. "Lily, sweetheart."  
  
But Lily's green eyes brimmed with tears, and she too, ran upstairs.  
  
****  
  
Lily opened her eyes. She must have fallen asleep. She sat up on her bed, rubbing her head. What had happened? But the memory threatened to bring tears to her eyes again.  
  
This wasn't the first time Lily had been the victim of Petunia's heartless pranks. But this was one too many times. The strange part was though that at times, Lily had managed to get back at Petunia, without using her hands or mouth. There was the time when Lily was eight and Petunia ten, when their father had bought them both ice cream cones, and Petunia was successful in making Lily drop hers. Lily was so angry that somehow, she had made Petunia drop her cone also without even touching her. This gave Petunia more reasons to think of Lily as a loser and a freak, even though their father continually explained to Petunia that her hands must have lost grip of the cone.  
  
Lily got up from her bed. Her father probably called when she was asleep. Lily clearly thought it was unfair that Mr. Evans was present on Petunia's birthday, and was absent on hers. She knew it wasn't his fault; he traveled all the time, but Lily also knew Petunia wouldn't dare pull a prank with their father around.  
  
Lily entered the kitchen sulkily, where her mother was at the kitchen table, looking harassed. "Lily, I've talked to your father, and he said Petunia will be punished. Don't worry dear, you could always have another party. By the way, you've got some mail."  
  
I don't want another party, Lily thought angrily, as she absentmindedly opened her mail. The first envelope contained a birthday card and some money, from her father. The second envelope contained the same, but this time from her grandparents. When she reached the third envelope, she looked at it strangely. It was most peculiar. It was very thick, with her address written in green ink, and so precise that it actually stated "The Smallest Bedroom" under her name. Lily tore it open, and a sheaf of papers fell out. She read the first one, and screamed.  
  
"Mom!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I'm a witch!" 


	2. Prologue: Part 2

Disclaimer: Just to clear things up, I do not own any characters, places, or things you may recognize. All belong to the genius behind Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling.  
  
A/N: I thought I wouldn't continue this story, not because I was tired of writing (already), but because I don't have time!! But I really like doing this, so I wrote this in a couple of sittings. Anyway, I'd really really like to thank my reviewers: Lady Lightning, Bekken, spacecow, ClairPotter, and koneko. Also, my actual story will start from their sixth year; this is just a (really long) prologue. Okay, I think I'll shut up now  
  
Prologue: Part 2  
  
Six weeks had passed since that fateful letter arrived and changed Lily Evans' life. At first, Lily thought it was another one of Petunia's nasty jokes. After all, Petunia had never hesitated to show that she could go through any measures just to torture Lily. But Mrs. Evans did examine it, and said it was authentic, as disbelieving as it may sound. So Lily would be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she would actually learn magic. Lily only read about witches and wizards in her fiction books; she never believed that something so amazing could happen to her.  
  
It had been quite a job to go to Diagon Alley to get her school things, but fun all the same. Strange people lurked everywhere, and there were so many fascinating shops that sold items that you could only dream about. Lily's parents were exceptionally proud of her, but Petunia used this discovery to give her more reasons to call Lily a freak. Lily found she didn't care very much; it was a very comforting thought that she would have plenty of miles distance from Petunia in a matter of few weeks.  
  
Now Lily was on her way to King's Cross Station, where she would take the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. A mixture of excitement and nerves settled in her stomach. She couldn't help but worry about her Muggle (as wizards called it) parentage. Most of the school would probably be filled with young witches and wizards who knew about this secret wizarding world all their lives. And they'd probably already know tons of magic, too. Lily tried to think about something else.  
  
Finally, they reached the station. As Mr. Evans took Lily's trunk and her new pet owl, Skittle, out of the car trunk, Lily and her mother went to look for the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"Now, what was the name of the platform, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked.  
  
Lily looked down at her ticket. "Platform nine and three-quarters."  
  
Lily frowned. She had been to King's Cross quite a few times before, but she had never heard of a platform nine and three-quarters. Maybe it was hidden, like the pub that led to Diagon Alley. But when they reached platform ten, they still hadn't found platform nine and three-quarters.  
  
Lily saw her father approaching, and ran up to him. "Daddy, we can't find platform nine and three-quarters," she informed him.  
  
"Platform nine and what? Let me see your ticket."  
  
For the next ten minutes, the Evans' searched and searched. They even asked a few people, but all they got were funny looks. Lily was starting to give up hope. How could she have been so thick, not to ask about platform nine and three-quarters when they purchased the ticket at Diagon Alley? After her experience with the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, she knew she should have asked. But the platform had to be around here somewhere. They'd just have to search harder..  
  
Just then, Lily noticed a blond woman in robes talking to her son. Her son, who seemed to be a few years older than Lily, had a large trunk just like hers, and an... OWL! Lily quickly ran to her mom.  
  
"Mom, I think I found a Hogwarts student! Come, quick!" Lily yelled.  
  
Her mother quickly followed, and walked up to the woman. Lily noticed her son wasn't with her anymore.  
  
"Hello," Mrs. Evans said, holding out her hand. "I'm Rachel Evans, and this is my daughter Lily. She's a new Hogwarts student. We're having some trouble finding platform nine and three-quarters. Do you have any idea where it might be?"  
  
The blond woman looked at Mrs. Evans as if she had a disease. Lily distinctly heard her say "Muggles". She did not take Mrs. Evans' hand. Instead, she said curtly "All you do is walk towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop until you reach the train," and left.  
  
Mrs. Evans looked hurt by this less than friendly advice, but hid it in an instant and turned to her daughter. "Now Lily, you heard what you have to do. We'll wait until we see you've gone. Have a good term, dear." She bent down to kiss her daughter. "Remember to write regularly."  
  
Lily turned to her father, and bid her goodbyes. She then turned her attention to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. While she was walking, Lily remembered the blond woman's expression when she saw her mother. Were all wizards and witches like that? If they were, Lily wasn't sure she would like the wizarding world very much.  
  
The barrier was coming closer. Lily hesitated for a bit. Should she stop? Maybe this was false advice, maybe this was the blond woman's idea of a joke. But before she could continue on with her musings, a scarlet steam engine stood before her. Lily felt relieved and looked at a nearby clock. She gasped. There were only two minutes until the train left!  
  
Hurriedly, she ran with her trolley and tried to find an empty compartment. She finally reached a near empty one at the very end of the train. Lily stepped in and found a girl about her age with brown hair pulled back and hazel eyes.  
  
"Is anyone sitting here?" Lily asked meekly.  
  
"No."  
  
"Um, you couldn't help me with my trunk, could you?"  
  
The girl got up instantly and together, they managed to heave the trunk in the compartment. Lily reentered the compartment with Skittle, and sat down. After a minute, the train started to move. Catching her breath, Lily was very well aware that the other girl was staring at her. Lily turned her head and looked at her. The girl grinned.  
  
"I'm Arabella Figg, but you could call me Bella" she said.  
  
Lily smiled back. "I'm Lily Evans."  
  
"Evans. is your family Muggle?" Bella asked.  
  
Lily reluctantly answered yes. She knew what was coming. Bella would make a face, like how that woman at the station had.  
  
But Bella seemed to be reading Lily's mind. "Don't worry," she said soothingly, "there's lots of kids from Muggle families. You're not the only one."  
  
Lily smiled again, relieved. "Is your family pure wizard?"  
  
"No." Bella answered. "My mom is a Muggle, but my two older brothers both attended Hogwarts. Any idea what house you'll be sorted into?"  
  
"Erm, excuse me?"  
  
And with that, Bella explained the four different houses at Hogwarts. After she was done, an old plump witch with a lunch car pulled in their compartment. "Would you girls like anything?" she asked.  
  
They both bought a large stack of cakes and chocolates.  
  
As Lily started on her third chocolate frog, a loud bang interrupted their conversation. Lily and Arabella both got up and slid the door open to the next compartment, peering through. Two black haired boys were in the corner of the compartment, talking in hushed whispers. Lily wanted to go sit back down, but Bella slid the door open all the way and stepped inside.  
  
"Hello James. Hello Sirius." Bella said loudly, catching both boys by surprise.  
  
James Potter and Sirius Black jumped and turned to Bella, both with guilty looks on their faces.  
  
"Why hello, Bella," said James, the one with the glasses.  
  
Sirius took a step forward. "Who's she?" he asked Bella, referring to Lily.  
  
"This is Lily Evans," said Bella happily. "Lily, these two clowns are James and Sirius."  
  
James rolled his eyes, but still said a polite hello, and Sirius held out a hand and said in a fake accent, "Charmed."  
  
Lily giggled and shook his hand.  
  
Bella and Lily stayed in James and Sirius' compartment for the rest of the journey. All four of them were discussing the Hogwarts' houses and they all decided they wanted to be in Gryffindor. Both James and Sirius were telling them horrible things about the Slytherin house. Their conversation was only interrupted by the voice from the speakers telling them that they were about to arrive at Hogwarts in a short while.  
  
Bella and Lily went into their own compartment and changed into their school robes. Lily again felt nervous, but this time more confident, as she had made some new friends. When they were finally there, the two girls stepped out of the train and looked around. An outline of a large man was making their way toward them, carrying a lantern. "Firs' years this way!" he yelled.  
  
All the scared looking first years followed the man; soon they were on their way across the lake and toward the castle.  
  
*****  
  
Lily stood in the Great Hall with all the other first years, waiting to be sorted. At first, when the stern looking witch Professor McGonagall had told them that they were to be sorted in front of the whole school, Lily felt like she was going to collapse. And she wasn't the only one. All around, people looked pale and wan, and not just the Muggle-borns. But it turned out all they had to do was put on an old, patched hat, and that decided which house they would be in. Lily looked as Professor McGonagall called out the first name.  
  
"ANDREWS, MICHELLE!"  
  
The hat took a few moments, and then shouted "RAVENCLAW!"  
  
There was a burst of applause from the Ravenclaw table. Lily looked at the floor, and didn't look up until-  
  
"BLACK, SIRIUS!"  
  
As Sirius put the hat on his head, which was much too large for him, Lily amused herself for a moment, thinking it would be hilarious if Sirius really did end up in Slytherin.  
  
But just then, the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
After a few more names, Lily's name was called. She walked up to the stool, fully aware that every head was turned her way. Lily tried on the hat and waited.  
  
"Ah yes," a voice said, "Yes yes, a rather difficult one, I see. Very quick mind, and lots of ambition. Ooh, but bravery and boldness shine the most. So it should be-  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Lily felt the feeling back in her legs, and walked up to the Gryffindor table, thoroughly relieved. Much to Lily's delight, Arabella Figg was also sorted in Gryffindor, as well as Cynthia Flores, a dark haired girl with a sort of superior look on her face, Remus Lupin, a tired, pale looking boy, Peter Pettigrew, a stout boy with watery eyes, James Potter (Lily thought it would be funny if James Potter was sorted into Slytherin, too) and Amanda Schmidt, a short, blond girl.  
  
After the sorting, the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood up, said a few words, and told them all to start eating. Lily looked at the table and saw that the food magically appeared on the empty dishes around them. She helped herself to a bit of everything, talking to Bella as she did.  
  
After dinner, Lily looked around the Gryffindor table, feeling something she had never did before- peace. For the first time in her life, Lily felt a feeling of happiness and belonging.  
  
A/N again: Please Review! Flames are accepted! (Though not too harsh!) 


	3. Ch1: Nighttime Conversations

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.  
  
A/N: Hello people! Hope all of you had a Very Merry Christmas. I would post this up sooner, but this site wasn't working for me for the past few days. Moving on, I'd like to thank Moonlight-Muse, Night-'n'-Day, Futon, and Emily Woodmark for their reviews. This is where my story actually starts, so I hope you enjoy!  
  
Nighttime Conversations  
  
Sixteen-year-old Lily Evans entered Gryffindor Tower, wearing a sullen expression. The common room was unusually empty, even for a Saturday night. She walked up to the armchairs near the fire, where her best friend, Arabella Figg, was reading a book.  
  
Bella put her book down and faced Lily, who had just sat down. "Here before eleven, of course."  
  
"Well, as school prefect, it is my responsibility to set a good example for my fellow students, regardless of age, size, or any other factor that defines a certain-"  
  
Bella cut Lily off. "Lily, you're rambling."  
  
Lily looked sheepishly at Bella and fell silent, looking subdued.  
  
"What happened?" Bella asked Lily gently. "Bad date?"  
  
"I'd prefer if we didn't talk about it just right now," Lily said.  
  
"Okay," said Bella slowly, and she returned back to her book. Five..., she counted in her head, Four.... Three.... Two..... One...  
  
"You'd think dating him for eight months would tell me all I need to know about him," Lily started, talking about her Slytherin boyfriend, Severus Snape. "But nope, he becomes all moody and unpredictable today."  
  
Bella smiled. She knew her friend too well to know that she wouldn't talk about her date. But then she took in what Lily just said and became a bit angry. "Why, what'd he say this time?" she asked, not bothering to keep her sourness to a minimum. It was common knowledge that all the Gryffindors were unhappy about the Lily-Snape relationship. They failed to see what Lily saw in the greasy, slimy-haired kid. In turn, the Slytherins were furious that Snape was dating a Muggle-born.  
  
"Nothing," said Lily gloomily.  
  
"Then what's the problem?"  
  
"That is the problem Bella!" Lily cried. "He just seemed so....distant."  
  
"Oh," said Bella. "And is that a problem?"  
  
"Bella!" said Lily, but she couldn't help smile.  
  
"Come on Lily," said Bella, flipping through the pages of her book. "If you have a problem with him every single Saturday, why not just break up?"  
  
"Because I really like Severus!" Lily exclaimed. "He's always been so nice to me. I mean, it takes lots of courage to date a Muggle-born."  
  
Bella rolled her eyes. "Yeah, how brave of him."  
  
Lily bit her lip and fell quiet. It was time for a change of subject, she thought.  
  
"So, what'd you do today?" she asked brightly.  
  
"I was reading this oh-so-wonderful Muggle romance novel you gave me last year," Bella said. "Seriously, these Muggles are so silly and dramatic. Sort of like you," she added.  
  
It was Lily's turn to roll her eyes. "The common room's really empty tonight," she remarked, looking around and noticing that no one above third year was there, except them of course.  
  
"Yeah," Bella said. "Our fellow Gryffindors are pairing up before the Winter Ball. What's weird though is that the Marauders were here on this lovely Saturday night. Well, except Remus, of course."  
  
"No, that can't be," Lily said. "I just saw Michelle on my way up here." Michelle Andrews of Ravenclaw was Remus' long-time girlfriend.  
  
Bella shrugged. "That's what the rest of the Marauders told me. Michelle could have been coming from the Astronomy Tower or something. How romantic...." she said in a dreamy tone.  
  
Lily laughed. "So where are James, Sirius, and Peter now?" she asked, looking around the room.  
  
"They just left a little while ago."  
  
"Sneaking around the castle, I suppose." Lily said stiffly. "Really, they're going to get caught one of these days. Actually, if I were a better prefect-"  
  
"You'd go alert a teacher. I know Lil, you've told me so many times. Lighten up, they're just having some fun." Bella paused. "Actually, you should get to know them. Especially James. I'm sure you two would hit off."  
  
Lily looked revolted at the very idea of spending time with James Potter.  
  
"You never had a problem with him before," Bella told her.  
  
"Yeah, because he was different back then. Now all he does is break rules. And people like you encourage him!"  
  
Lily and Bella were quiet for a while. Then-  
  
"So, how come you didn't have a date tonight? Didn't get asked by the right person?" Lily teased.  
  
Bella opened her mouth to say something, couldn't think of what to say, and closed it again.  
  
"Bella, why don't you just tell Sirius?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yeah, like Sirius Black, the lady's man, would ever want to have anything to do with me." Bella said sadly.  
  
"You two are on the Quidditch team," Lily pointed out.  
  
"But Quidditch and romance are two different things. It's pretty obvious that he doesn't look at me more than a fellow Quidditch player or a friend," Bella said.  
  
"I'm sure we could change that," Lily said, her eyes glinting.  
  
"W-What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, the ball is coming up, just like you said. Just look stunning and make sure you have a really hot partner."  
  
Bella's eyes widened. "Lily Evans! You've been reading too many romance novels!"  
  
Lily smiled mischievously. "Just trying to help a friend in need."  
  
"I knew there was some fun, crazy person behind that school prefect!" Bella exclaimed.  
  
Lily suddenly straightened up and realized what she was saying. "Okay, well, we could talk about all this nonsense later. Right now it's time we go to sleep."  
  
Bella mumbled something that sounded distinctly like "spoke too soon," but followed Lily to their dormitory anyway.  
  
After ten minutes, Lily was in bed and thinking about her date. She suddenly felt gloomy again, but decided that she would talk to Severus at the Slytherin table tomorrow over a piece of toast. She avoided eating meals with Severus at the Slytherin table, where they were both jeered at a lot, but this was important. And after that, she thought no more.  
  
A/N Again: If you've read it, please review! I'm hoping to post the next chapter up pretty soon. 


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